brian_krecik

<p>John H. offers up some good suggestions.</p> <p>From the way you describe their request, "...fully buying out". Be careful here and since this can go sideways fast be sure to ask the right questions first. Ask if they want an limited exclusive rights or if they want to own the rights to the image. Often a client might ask for more than they really need because they might want to reuse without the need to return to you for additional licensing. This is fine but it also means you will lose out on future sales of the image in question. </p> <p>First, think about how original the images are and if they can be reproduced easily. Often times originality is the key in understanding the value of an image. Next, ask yourself how much time went into creating the images. Did you have to drive hours to get to a place, wait until the right time to capture the image, do post editing in photoshop? Calculate this time then consider what it would mean to you if you could never sell the image to anyone else... ever! </p> <p>Typically most licensing software for exclusive or explicit rights suggest anywhere from $10,000 - $20,000 but use your own judgement on this since this means they can use on commercial advertisements anywhere and you get no credit for the image. </p> <p>There are also other options such as offering a package offer, the offering discounts for renewing. Bottom line, let the images work for you, not the other way around. If they really want your work they will pay for it. In the end I tend to find that most clients that want to own something really only want the rights to use and to save money while doing this. Do what you can to give them this option but understand that if you discount too much, the client might recommend you to someone else and the next person might ask for deeper discounts. Knowing your bottom line is important. For some, this might be a few hundred dollars while for others this might quickly climb into thousands of dollars. </p> <p>Warmest wishes... Brian Krecik</p>

<p><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=588925">Gabriel</a> - You bring up a topic that is a real question that I feel most will ask during some point in their career as a photographer. How can one make a living at this craft when the pool of talent is so vast. The first step is to not undervaluing your services or your time spent perfecting your craft. After all, what the employer/client are hiring is the experience and the vision - not just someone with fancy equipment. </p> <p>Next, take stock of what drew you to this field that can encompass so many forms of genres in the first place. Now go off and perfect this but do so while working another career while you perfect and improve upon your own creativity and vision. Take on clients around your work schedule but think of this as a way to bring in extra income, gain valuable experience, and charge according to what you want to make. The first and biggest mistake is that people start off by charging a rate and do not take into account that they are running a business. If they want to be sustainable and grow then they need to pay the company first, themselves last. This means investment so that you can eventually grow the business and eventually start taking a salary. It takes time, effort and hard work to get to that point. At the same time, do not be afraid to share and collaborate with others in the industry. </p> <p>Finally, do not be afraid to consider that being a hobbyist is an okay thing to do. Because, as mentioned earlier, the talent pool is very deep and there are more people with cameras these days than ever. This means that competition for the job is at an all-time high which in turns means that there is a lot of undercutting to the point that we end up working for slave wages. When it comes to these jobs... walk away or set the expectations to the client real low. You do not want the hassle as they will expect the world as you work for pennies on the dollar. </p> <p>See, creating for yourself and sharing with a select audience isn't a bad thing for it creates demand for a service that no one else offers. This is why it is so very important to be realistic about your goals and how you are approaching photography. To get to this point it is likely that they best jumping off point is finding your niche, perfecting your skill, and creating a demand within your market or community. </p> <p>As Henri Cartier-Bresson once commented, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." My suggestion, keep pushing, learning, and be willing to explore the medium, whether that be film or digital, through and informed approach. With time and by listening closely to your audience you will find the right path.<br> <br> Warmest wishes... Brian Krecik </p>

<blockquote> <p>This is the Facebook age. People want electronic copies of their photos, ALL of their photos, they want to upload them, and they are going to upload them then minute that they receive them.</p> </blockquote> <p>Not to be hypercritical but taking this approach will put you out of business... and fast. If you plan on running your business as a business and not as a part-time hobby the follow this advice. If you run it as a business, and it sounds like you try to, do not cave in to "the new normal". This is simply advice from people with no business experience that saturate the market with bad advice and no real experience.<br /> <br /> Many of you have offered sound advice and a few even have experience with film so their advice is priceless. Even if you shoot digital, I happen to use both, treat your digital files as digital negatives. This is what they are referred to as if you are doing any work digital RAW files are adjustable RGB files that allow one to manipulate the digital data before processing in photoshop. Time is money and while one can automate the process everything needs to be considered in pricing from time, to cost of equipment, to even all overhead.<br /> <br /> An excellent video to watch can be found here... <a href=" /> <br /> I work in commercial advertising, magazines, fine art and commercial work and I am always aware of my bottom line whenever I do work. Like you, I work in a market where if one throws a stone you hit ten photographers. Be smart and do what others suggest - elevate yourself above the fray and never give anything away for free. I don't know about you but I want to eventually retire from the business.</p>